The use of irrigation systems including pumps is described in detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,462 to DeSatnick et al. Irrigation with a fluid, typically saline solution, is provided during endoscopic procedures such as arthroscopy to distend the joint, improve viewing of the area being treated, and to remove debris which may be loosened during the procedure.
Preferred irrigation systems such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,462 provide substantially independent control over both flow through the area being treated and pressure of the fluid in that area. Irrigation systems which do not provide independent control over pressure and flow typically suffer from either insufficient flow to present a clear treatment site or excessive pressure which can cause other serious problems.
Irrigation systems deliver and remove fluid to the treatment site using surgical tubing. Because of biological contamination, the tubing must be replaced between procedures. Other considerations regarding tubing and tubing sets used in irrigation systems are thoroughly discussed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,265 to DeSatnick et al.
Briefly, the tubing set must minimally include an inflow tube to provide irrigation fluid to the treatment site and an outflow tube to remove the irrigation fluid from the treatment site. Tubing sets used with irrigation systems which monitor fluid pressure at the treatment site (such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,462) also typically include a pressure sensing line connected between the treatment site and the irrigation system.
Because of the number of tubes and their connections, replacement of tubes before and between procedures to prevent cross-contamination can consume valuable time and present unnecessary complexity to the user. As a result, a need exists for an irrigation system providing substantially independent control over pressure and flow of the irrigation fluid in conjunction with simple and effective tubing replacement before and between endoscopic procedures.